Williesha and Jason Morris will lead a celebration of the landmark Loving v. Virginia ruling Saturday, June 21 in Homewood. (photo courtesy of the Morris family)

What does love look like?

Williesha C. Morris got her first glimpse in the most unlikely of places.

Morris met her future husband, Jason, in 2009 at DragonCon, Atlanta's eccentric pop culture convention. She saw him again during the 2010 event. And again in 2011.

"I flirted with him and he loved every minute of it," she said.

They officially became a couple that October. A year later, they were man and wife.

But if not for a landmark court case, their union would have been doomed before it even began.

On June 12, 1967, in the case of Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute was unconstitutional and ended all race-based legal restriction of marriage in the United States.

Although it's not as widely known as landmarks like Brown v. Board of Education's desegregation of schools, Loving v. Virginia was a civil-rights breakthrough. It eradicated antiquated barriers that aimed to separate interracial couples like Jason and Williesha Morris.

Love has no boundaries. That's what makes it so freeing.

In celebration of Loving v. Virginia, Williesha Morris is playing host to Loving Day Alabama on Saturday, June 21 at Homewood Public Library. The event will feature a viewing of The Loving Story, a documentary that tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the couple at the center of the 1967 case who changed the way we look at love.

"The first time I watched the film I cried," Morris said. "They only had seven years together before (Richard Loving) died. They didn't get a chance to have a lasting marriage."

Perhaps the most powerful message in the Lovings' story is that their love was no different than anyone else's. All they wanted was to be together.

The Morris' can relate. During their courtship, Williesha Morris lived in Columbia, S.C., while her future husband was in Birmingham. The relationship grew through text messages and six-hour road trips.

"We did not want to be apart," Morris said.

Once they wed, they encountered issues that most newlyweds run into: "I mainly struggled being around a messy dude," Morris said. But besides occasional uncomfortable stares from strangers and an odd remark here and there, the couple has not encountered the bigotry associated with Alabama's past.

"I admit I was paranoid about our relationship when we first began but it hasn't been bad at all," she said. "An outsiders' perspective is that it's not safe for us but it's really not that way."

Our community has progressed, and it's thanks to the groundwork laid by the Lovings.

"It's still important for people to know about the history of the Loving case," Morris said. "It's not known, particularly since Alabama was the last state to eliminate those backward laws."

The beautiful thing about love is its unpredictability. It takes many forms and refuses to be defined - not by tradition, nor legislation.

What does love look like? Just look into the faces of Williesha and Jason Morris.

It's warm, happy and boundless.

The Loving Day event is set for Saturday, June 21 at 1:30 p.m. at Homewood Public Library, 1721 Oxmoor Road. The event is free but reservations are required. Order tickets here.